Pit Bull Reps

There are many theories as to why such ill repute has been callously branded upon the pit bull breed. Granted, the pit bull's bite is far more famous than its bark, but the breed itself is misunderstood as inherently vicious, which is completely unfounded. To give you a brief history of the breed, we look back to the early 1800s when  the Brits first started cross-breeding old bulldogs with terriers. At that time, bull dogs were trained to rile bulls up by biting the nose and hanging on until the bull went into fits...all in the name of entertainment at that.

In the late 1800s, terrier/bulldog mix was brought to the States where they would be thrown into the fighting pits against other dogs trained for the same purpose. Their prowess in the ring eventually earned the breed the "pit bull" title. Although dog fighting would eventually be banned, generations of conditioning cannot be undone so easily, especially considering that to this day, underground dog-fighting is still very much prevalent in our society. However, the pit bull was only doing what its master had trained them to do, which is why the breed was able to make a smooth transition into being a popular family pet.

Pit bulls are docile towards people and not just the hand that feeds them; otherwise, it would be too dangerous for someone to handle the dogs during fights. If treated humanely, pit bulls are complete sweethearts, particularly with their families and children. Unfortunately, nurture must eclipse nature as pit bulls tend to have a conditioned aggression towards other dogs and animals, especially if they have not been spayed/neutered ("Don't Litter. Spay or Neuter Your Critter") or if they feel threatened.

The adage of dogs taking after their masters holds true with pit bulls. Oftentimes, pit bulls are bred irresponsibly and sold off to human beings, who probably should not be even charged with the care of a gold fish little less an animal of limited intelligence. They take the pit bull's tough exterior and use it as an avatar for their own self image all the while treating the dog like they would their car parked in the garage, chained up and neglected until needed.

Generally speaking, dogs of any breed are pack animals, which means they yearn for companionship. Chain them up in a backyard without any outlet for their energy or stimulation to keep them on an even keel and the dog becomes territorial. When that dog escapes and acts out on its upbringing by attacking someone or something then the dog is made the proverbial scapegoat while the master merely shrugs their shoulders and passes the blame. It's not fair to the victim, but it is especially not fair to the pit bull.

Saks & Snickers

In various cities of the United States, pit bulls have been banned outright such as the case in Aurelia, Iowa. Former Chicago police officer Sak was forced to surrender his service dog, Snickers, who is not even close to being pure bred. He's part pit bull, part Labrador retriever and part boxer, yet the city forced James Sak surrender his dog and nearly had it put to sleep...for no reason other than having pit bull lineage. Fortunately, a federal judge in Iowa ruled against the motion and returned Snickers to his rightful owner.

Even being part pit bull nearly doomed Snickers and does that strike you as the least bit fair? If a person can go out and buy a gun legally with little fuss other than a background check, shouldn't the same hold true for owning a pit bull. Keep that same notion in mind when adopting a Little Friend. Pit bulls are loving dogs. Just keep in mind, their owner may not necessarily be loving themselves. It's not the pit's fault.